Flip chip type LED lighting device manufacturing method

ABSTRACT

A flip chip type LED lighting device manufacturing method includes the step of providing a strip, the step of providing a submount, the step of forming a metal bonding layer on the strip or submount, the step of bonding the submount to the strip, and the step of cutting the structure thus obtained into individual flip chip type LED lighting devices.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation patent application of co-pending Ser.No. 11/029,387, filed 6 Jan. 2005. The entire disclosure of the priorApplication, Ser. No. 11/029,387, from which an oath or declaration issupplied, is considered a part of the disclosure of the accompanyingContinuation Application and is hereby incorporated by reference. Theincorporation can only be relied upon when a portion has beeninadvertently omitted from the submitted application parts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a lighting device manufacturing methodand more particularly, to a simple method of making flip chip type LEDlighting devices without wire bonding.

2. Description of the Related Art

A lighting device is a requisite in our daily life. It lights up thespace when dark. Following fast development of high technology, flipchip LEDs have been intensively used to substitute for conventionalincandescent lamps.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a flip chip type LED lightingdevice made according to the prior art. According to this design, theflip chip type LED lighting device 1 comprises a submount 12, bondfingers 16, 18 provided at two sides of the submount 12, and a pluralityof flip chip LEDs (light emitting diodes) 10 bonded on the submount 12and electrically connected to the bond fingers 16, 18 by wire bonding.According to this design, a die bonding and a wire bonding proceduresmust be employed to have the legs of the LEDs 10 connected to the bondfingers 16, 18. This wire bonding procedure is complicated. During wirebonding, the LEDs 10 or submount 12 may be damaged accidentally.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a flip chip type LED lightingdevice manufacturing method, which eliminates the aforesaid problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances inview. It is one object of the present invention to provide a flip chiptype LED lighting device manufacturing method, which eliminates theapplication of wire bonding. It is another object of the presentinvention to provide a flip chip type LED lighting device manufacturingmethod, which has the bottom wall of the submount exposed to the outsidefor the bonding of a heat conducting/dissipating member to improve theheat dissipation effect of the lighting device. To achieve these andother objects of the present invention, the flip chip type LED lightingdevice manufacturing method comprises the steps of a) providing a strip,the strip comprising a plurality of strip elements, the strip elementshaving a respective metal lead frame respectively electrically connectedto one another; b) providing a submount, the submount comprising asubmount and a plurality of flip chip LEDs (light emitting diodes)installed in the submount; c) forming a metal bonding layer between thestrip bond pad, that has been pre-fixed in the strip, and the submountto form a lighting structure; and d) cutting the lighting structure thusobtained into individual flip chip type LED lighting devices based oneach strip element. The method of the invention further comprises thestep of bonding a heat conducting/dissipating member to the submount ofeach individual flip chip type LED lighting device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a flip chip type LED lightingdevice made according to the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the flow of a flip chip type LEDlighting device manufacturing method according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing of a strip for the fabrication of a flipchip type LED lighting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of a flip chip type LED lightingdevice made according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a light module based on a flipchip type LED lighting device according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 2, a flip chip type LED lighting device manufacturingmethod in accordance with the present invention includes the steps of:

S10—providing a strip, as FIG. 3 shown, wherein the strip is preparedhaving a plurality of strip elements 20, each strip element 20 having ametal lead frame 21, the metal lead frames 21 of the strip elements 20being respectively electrically connected together;

S12—providing a submount, for example, silicon or low temperatureco-firing ceramic(LTCC) submount is provided, and a plurality of lightemitting elements, for example, light emitting diodes are installed onthe silicon submount by flip chip;

S14—formation of metal bonding layer where a metal bonding layer isformed on the bottom wall of the strip or the top wall of the submountwith a low temperature solder material for example, tin base alloy,bismuth base alloy, or indium base alloy, or by means of eutecticbonding, or gold to gold ultrasonic bonding to form a lightingstructure;

S16—bonding of sub-mount to strip where the submount is attached to thebottom side of the strip and at the same time the submount is heated tomelt the metal bonding layer to fix the submount to the strip and toelectrically connect the metal lead frames to the bond pads of thesubmount, or using a lower bonding temperature by associating withultrasonic energy; and

S18—cutting where the structure thus obtained is cut into individualflip chip type LED lighting devices each containing one strip element.

After the aforesaid step S18, a heat conducting/dissipating member isprovided under and fixedly fastened to each individual flip chip typeLED lighting device. The heat conducting/dissipating member could bebonded to the flip chip type LED lighting device by means of theapplication of a conductive adhesive containing silver or copper filler.Alternatively, a low temperature solder material may be directly appliedon the bottom wall of the flip chip type LED lighting device andfollowing treated with thermal process (Ex. reflow) to achieve thebonding. It is also constructive to bond a heat conducting/dissipatingmember to the bottom wall of each individual flip chip type LED lightingdevice by means of eutectic bonding.

After bonding of a heat conducting/dissipating member to the bottom wallof each individual flip chip type LED lighting device, a lightcondensing element, for example, condenser lens or reflector is used toadjust the light path of the lighting device, enhancing the radiationbrightness.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a flip chip type LED lighting device 2made according to the present invention. As illustrated, the flip chiptype LED lighting device 2 comprises a strip element 20, a metal leadframe 21 embedded in the strip element 20, a flip chip embedded submount22 bonded to the strip element 20, flip chip LEDs 24 bonded to circuitson the strip element 20, and a metal, for example, conductive or Agpaste bonding layer 26 between the strip element 20 and the sub-mount22.

FIG. 5 is a light module based on the aforesaid flip chip type LEDlighting device. As illustrated, the light module comprises a flip chiptype LED lighting device 2, a heat conducting/dissipating member 30bonded to the bottom wall of the submount 22 by means of a thermalinterface material (TIM), for example, silver glue, copper glue, lowtemperature solder material, and a light condensing element 32 coveringthe top side of the flip chip type LED lighting device 2 to concentratethe light of the flip chip LEDs 24.

As indicated above, The method of the present invention comprises thestep of providing a strip, the step of providing a submount, the step offorming a metal bonding layer on the strip or submount, the step ofbonding the submount to the strip, and the step of cutting the structurethus obtained into individual flip chip type LED lighting devices. Thismethod eliminates the procedure of wire bonding as is commonly seen inthe prior art designs. Therefore, the invention simplifies thefabrication of flip chip type LED lighting devices.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described indetail for purposes of illustration, various modifications andenhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention.

1. A LED lighting device manufacturing method comprising the steps of:providing a strip element, the strip element defining a hole therein andcomprising electrical circuits; providing a submount and a plurality oflight emitting diodes installed on said submount, wherein the area ofthe submount is bigger than the area of the hole of the strip element;and overlying the strip element on the submount and electricallycoupling the light emitting diodes to the electrical circuits of thestrip element, the light emitting diodes being surrounded by theperipheral of the hole; wherein the strip has a first bottom plane andthe submount has a second bottom plane, the first bottom plane and thesecond bottom plane are substantially coplanar, and wherein saidsubmount is a silicon submount having circuits arranged thereon forbonding the plurality of light emitting diodes.
 2. The LED lightingdevice manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a metalbonding layer formed of a low temperature solder material is bondedbetween the strip element and the submount.
 3. The LED lighting devicemanufacturing method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said low temperaturesolder material is selected from a group of alloys including tin basealloy, bismuth base alloy, and indium base alloy.
 4. The LED lightingdevice manufacturing method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said metalbonding layer is formed of a electric conductive adhesive paste.
 5. TheLED lighting device manufacturing method as claimed in claim 2, whereinsaid metal bonding layer is bonded to the electrical circuits of saidstrip element and said submount by means of eutectic bonding.
 6. Thelighting device manufacturing method as claimed in claim 1, furthercomprising the step of bonding a light condensing means to the top ofthe strip element.
 7. The LED lighting device manufacturing method asclaimed in claim 6, said light condensing means comprises a condenserlens and a reflector.
 8. A LED lighting device manufacturing methodcomprising the steps of: providing a strip element, the strip elementdefining a hole therein and comprising electrical circuits; providing asubmount and a plurality of light emitting diodes installed on saidsubmount, wherein the area of the submount is bigger than the area ofthe hole of the strip element; and overlying the strip element on thesubmount and electrically coupling the light emitting diodes to theelectrical circuits of the strip element, the light emitting diodesbeing surrounded by the peripheral of the hole; thermally coupling aheat conducting/dissipating member to the submount of the LED lightingdevice; wherein the strip has a first bottom plane and the submount hasa second bottom plane, the first bottom plane and the second bottomplane are substantially coplanar.
 9. The LED lighting devicemanufacturing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said heatconducting/dissipating member is thermally coupled to said submount bymeans of a thermal interface material.
 10. The LED lighting devicemanufacturing method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said thermalinterface material is selected from a material group including silverglue, copper glue, and a low temperature solder material.
 11. The LEDlighting device manufacturing method as claimed in claim 8, wherein saidheat conducting/dissipating member is thermally coupled to said submountby means of fixing the strip element on one terminal of the heatconducting/dissipating member.
 12. A LED lighting device comprising: asubmount; a plurality of light emitting diodes installed on thesubmount; a strip element overlying on the submount, the strip elementdefining a hole therein and comprising electrical circuits, wherein thearea of the submount is bigger than the area of the hole of the stripelement and the light emitting diodes are surrounded by the peripheralof the hole; and a heat conducting/dissipating member thermally coupledto the submount; wherein the strip has a first bottom plane and thesubmount has a second bottom plane, the first bottom plane and thesecond bottom plane are substantially coplanar.
 13. The LED lightingdevice as claimed in claim 12 wherein said heat conducting/dissipatingmember is thermally coupled to said submount by means of a thermalinterface material.
 14. The LED lighting device as claimed in claim 12,wherein said heat conducting/dissipating member is thermally coupled tosaid submount by fixing the strip element on one terminal of the heatconducting/dissipating member.
 15. The LED lighting device as claimed inclaim 12, wherein the light emitting diodes are electrically coupled tothe electrical circuits of the strip element.
 16. The LED lightingdevice as claimed in claim 12, wherein a metal bonding layer formed of alow temperature solder material is bonded between the strip element andthe submount.
 17. The lighting device as claimed in claim 12, furthercomprising a light condensing means bonded to the top of the stripelement.
 18. A LED lighting device comprising: a submount; a pluralityof light emitting diodes installed on the submount; and a strip elementoverlying on the submount, the strip element defining a hole therein andcomprising electrical circuits, wherein the area of the submount isbigger than the area of the hole of the strip element and the lightemitting diodes are surrounded by the peripheral of the hole; whereinthe strip has a first bottom plane and the submount has a second bottomplane, the first bottom plane and the second bottom plane aresubstantially coplanar, and wherein said submount is a silicon submounthaving circuits arranged thereon for bonding the plurality of lightemitting diodes.